229 Franklin Avenue, Seaside Heights, N.J., March 2023 (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Seaside Heights will auction off three properties this week which are currently under municipal ownership.
The auction will be held between Tuesday, Dec. 12 and Thursday, Dec. 14 in a virtual environment by Max Spann, an auction firm that specializes in selling municipal properties to private owners. The sale will consist of one property that has garnered a great deal of attention, while the other two lots will “fill in” a portion of a street that is, technically, within the jurisdiction of Toms River Township despite being owned by Seaside Heights.
The higher-profile property of the three is the “house-motel” property at 229 Franklin Avenue. The oddly-designed lot features a traditional home in the front, facing the street, and a multi-unit motel-style building in the rear that had been used as a rental property for some time. The property had been a noted trouble spot in the otherwise-quiet neighborhood, with a high number of calls to law enforcement and other responders.
The property at 229 Franklin Avenue, Seaside Heights, N.J., Aug. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)
The parcel was purchased for $1.1 million using state grant funding aimed at ridding the borough of blighted properties. A demolition contract was awarded over the summer, and the auction was authorized last month.
The other two properties are traditional lots for single-family homes. The two, though on the south side of Route 35 on Dewey Drive, are technically located within Toms River’s municipal boundary despite being owned by Seaside Heights.
The Dewey Drive lots are owned by the borough but are physically located within a sliver of Toms River Township that extends to the south side of the Route 37/35 corridor that serves as the entrance to the island. Recently, the Toms River planning board decided one large lot may be divided into three smaller lots – two for single-family residences and one tiny parcel that is home to the “Welcome to Seaside Heights” sign visible from Route 35’s southbound lanes heading into town.
Lots on Dewey Drive in Toms River, owned by Seaside Heights, Sept. 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)
The public auction of the properties will take place online beginning Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 9 a.m. prevailing time and close on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023 at 11 a.m. prevailing time. The auction will be conducted virtually. Anyone wishing to participate in the auction must register in advance at www.maxspann.com.
A $10,000 deposit is required to be submitted prior to being eligible to bid during the auction. The high bidder for each property in the auction will be required to sign a contract and post a 10 percent deposit.
The properties being auctioned are being sold in “as is” condition, a notice said.
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